PI Edwin Colaco apologises BUT does not accept blame

PI says sorry as Benaulim still simmers
18 Sep 2008, 0050 hrs IST,TNN
... Meanwhile, Colva police inspector Edwin Colaco on Wednesday evening tendered an apology to the parish priest of the Holy Trinity Church Benaulim, Fr Anthony Vaz, for any inconvenience that might have been caused to the parishioners on account of police action on Monday.
On Tuesday evening, PI Colaco and his men had stopped buses at Cortalim junction to find out whether the persons named in an earlier FIR were among the villagers returning from Panaji after attending a peace rally. The FIR was against villagers who had disrupted a panchayat meeting on Monday.
The Benaulim Villagers Action Committee (BVAC) and the parishioners had demanded an apology from the police officer for what they termed his “high-handedness” in arresting the accused in such a “brazen” manner.
Stating that the police had not the slightest intention of causing any inconvenience to the parishioners, leave alone any physical harm, PI Colaco said that the move was just a “verification exercise” by the police. “If at all any inconvenience is caused to the parishioners, then I, on behalf of my officers and men, tender sincere apologies to you,” he said in a letter.
However, BVAC leader Geraldine Fernandes appeared dissatisfied with the apology, “We are not at all happy with the contents of the letter. The PI has not accepted any blame for his actions.” She told TOI that the villagers will soon meet to decide their future course of action.
When contacted, PI Edwin Colaco said he tendered the apology bowing to the demands of the parishioners only to avoid any stand-off with the villagers. “I can only say that Tuesday’s exercise by my men was according to the provisions of the law,” he said.
Even as the police have started an inquiry into the manner in which Colva PI Edwin Colaco acted on Tuesday, human rights activists in the state have condemned the police for their high-handed behaviour and have demanded strict action against the police officer for the illegal action.
Colaco had forced Benaulim villagers returning from Tuesday’s solidarity rally in Panaji to get down from their buses at Cortalim junction and taken two of them into custody. They were later freed as villagers laid siege to Colva police station. SP (South) Shekhar Prabhudessai said, “DySP Umesh Gaonkar would conduct an inquiry into the way in which PI Colaco handled the issue.”
Father Maverick Fernandes, Executive Secretary, Council for Social Justice and Peace said, “The law needs to be implemented in a proper manner. What do you do when the protectors of law break the law and harass people. It was apparently another effort to intimidate citizens who are struggling to protect their rights.”
Police officials admitted that while a police officer could search for an accused beyond his jurisdiction, the manner in which PI Colaco behaved, without informing his senior officers, was not correct.
“What the police did was absolutely wrong and illegal. The PI had absolutely no right to stop buses on the highway and trouble ordinary citizens, on the pretext of arresting a few accused. Moreover, is the crime of the people wanted by the police so large that the police behave in such an unwarranted manner and troubles people who are fighting for their rights? Strict action should be taken against such an officer,” said Human Rights Monitoring Society member Cyril Fernandes.
The incident has reportedly been viewed as a case of hurried decision by the police inspector. The DGP held a meeting of the south Goa SP and DySP on Wednesday afternoon and asked for a report. Incidentally, even senior police officers are perplexed at the manner in which the PI has acted. Top police officials informed that the PI had neither sought the SP nor the SDPO’s permission before halting buses on the highway. “The situation would have gone out of hand if the SDPOs from Margao and Vasco had not arrived at the spot and interacted with the angry crowd,” added a top police official.
Meanwhile, Benaulim Villagers Action Committee leader Geraldine Fernandes has termed the complaint lodged by sarpanch Carmelina Fernandes and Xavier Pereira against the villagers for damaging their properties “fabricated” and aimed at “tarnishing the image of the BVAC”.
“All of us were there at Colva police station well past midnight. Besides, it was raining heavily at that time. Moreover, it would require some time for anybody to mobilize a crowd of over 100 as alleged and march towards her house. This is just a ploy to tarnish our image,” Geraldine said.

(for full story http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Goa/PI_says_sorry_as_Benaulim_still_simmers/articleshow/3495891.cms)